Speaker Benefits

Why Speak at an SMi Event?

At SMi we ensure our conference agendas are topical and cover the key issues in
the field.

We work with professionals to guarantee the most relevant topics are covered and
presented by experts and specialists from around the world.

Our events are executive-level business-to-business conferences with senior level
representatives from the industry in attendance and are the perfect opportunity
to display the latest developments within your organisation.

Speaking at an SMi Conference

SMi conferences are widely regarded as market leaders across a number of sectors
thanks to our consistently strong and well-respected speaker panels.

As a speaker at one of SMi’s events, you will be provided with an unparalleled opportunity
to give presentations and network with other key opinion leaders in the field.

Presenting your Organisation’s Work on a Global Stage

As a speaker at a SMi conference you will be presenting to a room full of senior
representatives from all over the world, each providing a different perspective
from the sector. Your organisation’s expertise and knowledge will be showcased to
key players in the field and will be a unique platform to increase your reputation
within the sector.

Discuss and Overcome Issues in the Field

SMi conferences offer unrivalled opportunities to work with other key leading executives
from the industry to discuss the main challenges in the sector and to come together
to produce strategies to find solutions to these problems.

Network with Key Players from the Sector

SMi conferences draw together leading specialists from industry, buyers and sellers,
the public sector and academia to ensure a conference is a commercially productive
event for all involved. Be it forging partnerships, finding customers or building
collaborations, SMi’s conferences are a one-stop-shop for knowledge sharing and
business development.

Learn from other Speakers

As a speaker at one of SMi’s conferences you will be provided with free access to
both days of the conference and associated workshops and will be given the opportunity
to hear from other senior representatives from the sector and consider problems
and solutions in the field in our numerous Q&A sessions and panel discussions.

Chairing at an SMi Conference

To increase your presence at the event, why not chair the event, a day, or a specific
session to present yourself and your organisation as one the leading players in
a specific topic area? As a chair, you will work closely with us and our line-up
of senior level speakers to ensure an event’s success.

Leading a Workshop or Masterclass with SMi

By leading one of SMi’s renowned Workshops or Masterclasses, you will be presented
with a perfect forum for an in depth discussion and debate into a key issue. These
sessions can vary in format from case-study-led debate with interactive break-out
sessions to a presentation based discussion group on a topic that may need a particular
in-depth focus.

Our workshops, our half and full-day events associated with a conference, or our
Masterclasses, or our stand alone half-day or full-day events will be attended by
senior level executives and will provide workshop and Masterclass leaders with an
unequalled platform to discuss in depth and make strong business connections with
decision-making individuals from the sector.

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WHAT IS CPD?

CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development’. It is essentially a philosophy,
which maintains that in order to be effective, learning should be organised and
structured. The most common definition is:

‘A commitment to structured skills and knowledge enhancement for Personal or Professional
competence’

CPD is a common requirement of individual membership with professional bodies and
Institutes. Increasingly, employers also expect their staff to undertake regular
CPD activities.

Undertaken over a period of time, CPD ensures that educational qualifications do
not become obsolete, and allows for best practice and professional standards to
be upheld.

CPD can be undertaken through a variety of learning activities including instructor
led training courses, seminars and conferences, e:learning modules or structured
reading.

CPD AND PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTES

There are approximately 470 institutes in the UK across all industry sectors, with
a collective membership of circa 4 million professionals, and they all expect their
members to undertake CPD.

For some institutes undertaking CPD is mandatory e.g. accountancy and law, and linked
to a licence to practice, for others it’s obligatory. By ensuring that their members
undertake CPD, the professional bodies seek to ensure that professional standards,
legislative awareness and ethical practices are maintained.

CPD Schemes often run over the period of a year and the institutes generally provide
online tools for their members to record and reflect on their CPD activities.

TYPICAL CPD SCHEMES AND RECORDING OF CPD (CPD points and hours)

Professional bodies and Institutes CPD schemes are either structured as ‘Input’
or ‘Output’ based.

‘Input’ based schemes list a precise number of CPD hours that individuals must achieve
within a given time period. These schemes can also use different ‘currencies’ such
as points, merits, units or credits, where an individual must accumulate the number
required. These currencies are usually based on time i.e. 1 CPD point = 1 hour of
learning.

‘Output’ based schemes are learner centred. They require individuals to set learning
goals that align to professional competencies, or personal development objectives.
These schemes also list different ways to achieve the learning goals e.g. training
courses, seminars or e:learning, which enables an individual to complete their CPD
through their preferred mode of learning.

As a formal provider of CPD certified activities, SMI Group can provide an indication
of the learning benefit gained and the typical completion. However, it is ultimately
the responsibility of the delegate to evaluate their learning, and record it correctly
in line with their professional body’s or employers requirements.

GLOBAL CPD

Increasingly, international and emerging markets are ‘professionalising’ their workforces
and looking to the UK to benchmark educational standards. The undertaking of CPD
is now increasingly expected of any individual employed within today’s global marketplace.

CPD Certificates

We can provide a certificate for all our accredited events. To request a CPD certificate for a conference , workshop, master classes you have attended please email events@smi-online.co.uk